Treasure to be Hunted
by Avvara
Summary: After saving Earth and Mobius from timelessness, the Sonic team return to Earth to accolades of heroism. Knuckles' loneliness drives him to strike up a more focused friendship with a certain two-tailed fox. KnucklesXTails.
1. Chapter 1

Okie, this is my first stab at a fan-fictitious story. This isn't really the first chapter, it's more a sort of prologue; an introduction of the characters, if you like. Obviously, if you don't like yaoi, don't bother reading. Reviews are very, very much appreciated!

* * *

Knuckles sighed; sleep had once again eluded him. He rolled over onto his side and glanced at his clock, which flashed in soft red.

'2:43'

Knuckles blinked and groaned; he had hoped he would achieve at least a little rest. Not that he had anything to do. Ever since he and his team had returned home, there had been little for them to attend to. The quiet, comfortable life was not for Knuckles; he desired adventure, wealth and rich experience.

Eight years had passed since the destruction of the Metarex seed had come to fruition. The Sonic team had been ushered back to Earth and revered by the humans as heroes. Some of them went their own ways, but most stayed together. For Knuckles, and many of the other members, the tight knit group of friends was more than that; it was a family.

Knuckles grimaced. He didn't like feeling dependent on anyone.

'You're Knuckles the Echidna,' he thought. 'You're supposed to be tough.'

But the truth was, Knuckles had nowhere to go. Sonic and the others were the only people on this strange planet that he trusted, let alone knew.

Sonic had finally surrendered to Amy's advances when he was eighteen. The pair was probably still awake, although, Knuckles thought with a smile, most likely not due to insomnia.

Shadow and Rouge had established a friendship and stuck together everywhere; when Rouge chose to remain with the group, Shadow followed suit.

Chris had returned at his true age of eighteen when he returned, and went to a university to study engineering. Now a Ph.D engineer, Chris worked for his father. Chris' workload was heavy, leaving him little time to see Knuckles and his friends.

Tails and Cream had nervously stuck with the group; Knuckles frowned in disgust. Where were their parents, he wondered? Vanilla had run off with an old French businessman and abandoned her daughter to her friends, and Tails had never mentioned a parent.

'Poor little guy,' Knuckles thought. 'He hasn't been the same since his girlfriend died.'

Knuckles sighed again. All that thinking had just made him more alert. Deciding that sleep was a lost cause, the echidna rose from his bed and slipped on his gloves, pushing the spikes out of his face. Plodding out to the living room of the apartment they shared, Knuckles sat in an armchair and switched the television on, lowering the volume to near inaudible.

The echidna grunted. Human television was rubbish. Flicking through the channels mindlessly, finding nothing worthy of his intelligence, Knuckles turned the power off and leant back, shutting his eyes.

He couldn't be homesick. This was his home. No, that wasn't it. But there was a small, nagging hint of despair in the back of his mind.

Knuckles was lonely.

He'd never been hesitant with women in the past; one look at his confident grin and muscular arms and he could have a girl melting into his arms. But these human girls were so...bland. Knuckles had never liked tall women; he was the male of the relationship, and he enjoyed showing his dominance in every way. But the humans towered over him, as though he was just a puggle. It made him uncomfortable, not to mention emasculated. And the prospect of sex was... awkward.

'It'd be like having sex with a tree that kept saying "Aww, how cute!"' Sonic had chuckled to Knuckles one day. The echidna had grinned in response, but now the crude analogy only served to remind him of the futility of ever finding a lover.

Knuckles knew that the only prospective mates were the same people who lived in the same house. Even if Amy wasn't with Sonic, Knuckles didn't think he'd be able to listen to her babbling for more than five minutes. Cream was out of the question; Knuckles was desperate, but not 12 year old desperate. And despite their past closeness, Knuckles barely saw Rouge anymore. She was always with Shadow, like he was her twin brother. It irritated Knuckles that the bat had forgotten about him so quickly. He had thought they had shared a spark. But then again, Rouge didn't seem like one for monogamy.

Knuckles was about to rise and attempt to sleep one more time when he heard a muffled sound. The echidna looked up, confused, and padded softly toward the source of the sound. He stepped outside onto the apartment's balcony to find a thin figure sitting cross legged on the floor. The source of the sound became obvious; the creature was crying. By the two large, flicking appendages rising from the floor, Knuckles knew that it had to be Tails.

'Hey.' Knuckles said softly. Tails hiccupped and looked around, his eyes red and ringed with moisture.

'Oh, um, hi Knuckles,' Tails said in a cracked voice. Knuckles sat down next to the little fox.

'What's wrong, little guy?' he said, with as much gentleness as his gruff voice would allow. Tails wiped his eyes, sniffing.

'I miss Cosmo.' Upon saying her name, another tear rolled down the vulpine's cheek and he let out a quiet sob. Knuckles nodded, wrapping an arm around Tails' shoulder before he could stop and think 'What are you doing?'

'It's okay. She wouldn't want you to be sad, you know,' Knuckles paused. 'Neither do I.'

Tails gazed at the echidna through his tears, shivering.

'I know. But... it's hard.' Tails looked out into the night, wiping his nose. Knuckles was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"Er, I guess I'll just...leave you alone.' Knuckles awkwardly removed his arm from Tails' shoulders and went to go back inside.

'Wait!' Tails yipped, stretching a paw out to the retreating echidna. Knuckles stared at the fox, who appeared to be blushing.

'Could you, um... would you mind sitting here with me a little longer?' Tails looked at the floor, clearly embarrassed. Knuckles expression softened and he sprawled next to his small friend, who sniffled and leant against the echidna's shoulder.

'What're you supposed to do, Knuckles,' Tails said quietly, 'when someone you love deserts you?'

Knuckles grimaced. 'I dunno, kid. I guess you just... move on.'

Tails exhaled. 'Move on, huh?' The fox's eyelids drooped and his breathing became even. 'I'll...' he yawned, 'try.' Tails' eyes closed and he nuzzled into Knuckles' shoulder, sleeping soundly.

Knuckles sat uncomfortably for a while, trying to figure out what to do. Finally deciding that Tails would be more comfortable in a bed than on the floor, Knuckles stood, trying to disturb the little vulpine as little as possible as he scooped him into his arms. Tails was as light as a baby in Knuckles' strong arms. The echidna padded quietly through the apartment, reaching another dilemma. Tails shared a room with Cream, and Knuckles didn't want to wake the little rabbit up. Knuckles fidgeted for a minute in the short hallway before carrying the sleeping fox into his own room.

After placing him gently on the bed, Knuckles scratched his head thoughtfully. He didn't want to sleep in the living room; the sofa was made for sitting, not sleeping. Shrugging, Knuckles lay down next to Tails, pulling the blanket over the two of them.

Poor guy could use a pal, he thought. And I could use a teddy bear.

Knuckles felt Tails snuggling into his chest like a puppy would its mother. It made him feel a little awkward, but it was also nice to feel the small fox's warmth against him.

'Knuckles?' the fox whispered. Knuckles drew the blanket tighter over Tails.

'Yup, don't mind bunking with me, do you?' Knuckles shut off his lamp and lay back down. The fox yawned cutely.

'Mm mm.' Tails sighed and shut his eyes, scooting closer to his companion. Knuckles, unsure of what to do with his hands, tucked them under the pillow and closed his eyes, completely unaware of the soft, downy tails that brushed against his legs.

***

Knuckles woke slowly, light flooding the room through the window. He yawned, attempting to roll over until he realised something was in his way. A sleeping male fox impeded his movement, the tip of his thumb stuck in his muzzle. Knuckles started before remembering that he had put Tails into bed with him. With a flush of chagrin, Knuckles realised that his arm had made its way underneath of Tails body, holding the pair in a spooning position. Knuckles attempted to remove his arm without waking the sleeping vulpine, but Tails nuzzled his nose into the pillow and made a quiet grunting sound as he woke. Knuckles smiled, despite his embarrassment.

'Good morning,' he said, albeit with the tone of someone who did not appreciate the morning in the least. Tails sighed sleepily.

'Not yet,' he said, snuggling into Knuckles' chest. 'I want to lay here a little longer with you.'

Knuckles was puzzling over that statement before Tails sat up suddenly, paws flying to cover his muzzle.

'I, I mean, um...' the fox stammered, his cheeks going red. Tails sprang out of bed.

'I mean, ah, thanks for, um, letting me sleep here. I'll just, um, go.' Tails shook his head helplessly before exiting the room, leaving a confused and sleepy echidna behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Knuckles sat up, stretching. Although puzzled by Tails' words, the echidna decided it was far too early in the morning to be worrying. Looking around his room sleepily, Knuckles made a mental note to tidy up later. His scarce possessions were scattered around the room haphazardly; echidnas were not neat creatures. Knuckles blinked as he saw that one of his shoes had ended up on top of his television. Placing it back on the floor, the echidna chuckled as he wondered where the other one might be. 'I'll find it later,' he said quietly before smirking. 'Ah hell, I can't even convince myself.'

He could smell something temptingly savoury and licked his lips; he was always hungry. Giving his quills a quick rumple in an attempt to smooth them down, Knuckles exited his room and plodded down the hall to the dining room. 'Mornin', Shadow. Whatcha cooking?' the echidna said, addressing a black figure wielding a spatula.

'Good morning, Knuckles. Please, sit down. I will bring you a plate.' Shadow glanced sparingly at the echidna, his focus on the frying pan in front of him. Shadow had surprised everyone with his culinary prowess; he seemed more than content to cook every meal for the house of seven.

'Morning, Knucklehead!' Sonic greeted the echidna as he sat at the dining table.

Knuckles rolled his eyes light-heartedly. 'Mornin', Sonic. Hey, Amy.' The pink hedgehog wiggled her fingers, having just taken a dainty bite of a slice of toast. Knuckles grinned and nudged Sonic with his elbow.

'Bet her mouth was more full than that last night, hey, buddy?' he whispered. Amy choked on her toast, spluttering indignantly while Sonic laughed and punched Knuckles' shoulder.

'Shut up, at least I'm getting some!' the hedgehog hissed back in a playful tone.

A voice piped up from across the table. 'Getting some what, Sonic?' Cream's cinnamon colored eyes were wide and innocent.

'Uh, nothin'! I mean, uh, it's grown up stuff.' Sonic cleared his throat to hide his chagrin.

'I'm a grown up!' the small rabbit squeaked in her high pitched voice. 'I'm nearly thirteen!'

Sonic hesitated. 'Uhh...'

'Way to disillusion the kid, idiots,' a drawling voice sounded from the end of the table. Rouge peered at the two males from under heavy eyelids, not quite managing to hide an amused smirk.

Sonic made a helpless gesture. 'Sorry.' The bat rolled her eyes and took a sip of coffee. Cream looked at Amy questioningly, who shook her head.

'Don't worry about it, Cream. Sonic is just being a guy.' Amy smiled at the little rabbit, who tittered cutely and returned to her meal. Shadow strode to the table and placed a plate piled with bacon, fried eggs and toast in front of Knuckles. The echidna licked his lips, thanking his chef before digging in greedily.

'Where's Tails?' Sonic asked no one in particular. Amy shrugged; Rouge appeared not to have heard.

'He wasn't in his bed when I woke up. Maybe he went for a walk?' Cream said. Knuckles swallowed a mouthful of bacon before speaking.

'Nah, he's here somewhere. He was all upset last night so I put him in my bed. He left in a hurry when he woke up.' Knuckles went to take a bite of toast before he saw Amy eyeing him inquisitively.

'Where did you sleep?' she asked.

'Uhh, in my bed,' Knuckles replied.

Amy raised an eyebrow.

'With Tails?' she said, staring at the echidna.

'Yeah.' The pink animal glanced at Rouge, who was reading a magazine and seemed completely uninterested in the conversation. Amy exchanged a look with Sonic, making a 'back me up' gesture. Sonic cleared his throat, unsure of himself.

'Uh, why'd you share a bed with him?' he said, glancing at Amy for approval. Knuckles looked at the two hedgehogs confusedly.

'Because I didn't want to wake her up,' he pointed at Cream with his fork, 'and I didn't want to sleep on the couch. Why?'

Sonic seemed convinced, but Amy leant forward, a look of motherly concern on her face.

'Don't you think that's a little inappropriate?' she said.

Knuckles frowned. 'Why would it be inappropriate?' he asked, naivete coating his words.

'He's eight years younger than you! Not to mention ma-' Amy stopped abruptly, blushing slightly.

Knuckles gazed at her incredulously. 'You think I was -sleeping- with him?' he exclaimed quietly. Amy nodded fiercely.

'Yes, and you shouldn't be! I mean, he's only sixteen! And-' The hedgehog was interrupted by loud guffaws.

'Amy, nothing happened! I was just trying to be a good buddy to the little guy!' Knuckles chuckled as Amy flushed with embarrassment.

'I just wanted to be clear!' she humphed. Knuckles' laughter subsided and he returned to his meal.

'Besides, what makes you think I'd go for a guy?' Knuckles grinned at Amy, who jabbed a finger in his direction.

'I have my doubts, you know.' The hedgehog stuck her tongue out at her roommate, who shook his head derisively and shoveled a heaped forkful of egg into his mouth.

Light footsteps sounded as Tails entered the dining room, his two bushy tails brushed and groomed to furry perfection. 'Morning, everyone,' Tails said, twiddling his fingers at the diners.

'Morning, buddy!'

'Morning!'

'Hi!'

'Morning, honey.'

'Morning,' Knuckles smiled. Tails glanced at the echidna, looking away quickly and grimacing with embarrassment. A throat clearing noise made the little fox jump. He turned around to see Shadow holding a plate out to him, an eyebrow raised in impatience.

'Oh, thanks Shadow.' Tails placed the plate on the table and sat between Rouge and Cream, deliberately avoiding meeting Knuckles' eye.

'How'd you sleep?' Amy asked innocently. Tails blushed, staring into his eggs.

'Fine,' he said, quickly taking a bite of his breakfast to evade any follow up questions. Amy, however, was not to be deterred.

'Knuckles said you were upset last night. Are you alright?' she said, clasping her gloved paws on the table in front of her. Tails swallowed slowly.

'I don't wanna talk about it.' The fox bit his lip, sadness pulling his pointy ears back. Amy opened her mouth to say something, but felt a paw on her arm.

'Leave him be.' Knuckles voice was casual, but firm. The hedgehog shut her mouth, mild confusion causing her brow to furrow.

The rest of the meal was eaten mainly in silence, save for the scraping of forks against plates and the sizzling of a hot pan as Shadow made his own meal. Knuckles finished his breakfast and rose, taking his plate to the sink. He felt a pair of eyes on his back the entire time, and wondered who they belonged to.

Knuckles re-entered his bedroom for no particular reason. His usual morning activity was a run with Sonic, but that wouldn't happen for another good ten minutes. Sonic may be a fast runner, but he was an incessantly slow eater. The echidna bent over to retrieve a loose piece of crumpled paper from the floor, surprised by how dirty his room actually was.

Anyone would think I'm a teenager, he thought, picking up a spare pair of gloves and sticking them in a drawer. Humming tunelessly to himself, Knuckles busied himself with his cleaning until he heard a tentative knock at his door. He turned to face the visitor.

'What's up, little guy?' he said. Tails looked embarrassed, obviously trying to not look at the echidna.

'Umm, I think I left my gloves in here. Have you seen them?' he said. Knuckles frowned.

'Nah, don't think so. Hang on, they might be in my bed,' he said as he strode over to his bed, flicking the blanket back to reveal two white gloves.

'Here ya go, buddy.' Knuckles handed the gloves to the fox. 'Anything else I can help you with?'

Tails hesitated, as though he had another request. After a brief moment, he bit his lip and shook his head.

'Thanks, Knuckles,' he blurted quickly before fleeing to his room. Knuckles snickered; he sure wasn't like that when he was that age. He was about to return to his chore when he heard another knock at the door, this time from Sonic, who was lounging against the doorframe.

'Ready to go?' the hedgehog said.

'Yeah, just gimme a sec,' Knuckles replied, retrieving his shoe from the television. 'Can't find my other shoe, heh.'

'I think I saw it in the living room. Man, you're a slob.' Sonic grinned at his friend, who dug him playfully in the ribs.

'Shut up, it's part of my manly appeal.' The pair strode into the living room to find Cream and her bubbly blue-and-yellow Chao, Cheese playing on the floor. Cheese had clambered into a shoe and was pretending to be a train while Cream giggled and clapped her small hands with childish delight. Knuckles walked over, plucking the creature from his shoe.

'Sorry, kiddo. I need this. Why don'tcha watch some cartoons or something?' he said to Cream, who nodded and took Cheese from Knuckles' paw, settling herself into an armchair in front of the television. The echidna pulled his sneakers onto his feet and opened the door.

'I'll bring you back a toy for him, okay?' he said to the girl.

'Okay! Thanks a lot, Knuckles!' Cream squeaked, Cheese chittering his thanks. Knuckles smiled gruffly; he had always had a soft spot for the Chao, though he would never admit it, lest Sonic find out and annoy him more than he did now.

The two males set off at a brisk pace, used to the stares and whispers that their presence often warranted in passers-by. Despite their speed, the pair chatted comfortably.

'So, I don't want to sound pushy or anything, but...' Sonic began.

Knuckles interrupted him good-naturedly. 'Don't worry, Sonic. I haven't spoiled the kid's innocence yet,' he chuckled lightly, before noticing the strange look Sonic was giving him.

'What?' he asked. Sonic frowned a bit.

'You said "yet",' he said in a questioning tone. Knuckles was surprised as well.

'I, ah... you know what I meant,' he said, mentally berating himself. Sonic continued to stare at him quizzically.

'Knuckles... Do you...?'

'No!' Knuckles exclaimed. 'Of course not! Why is everyone jumping to that conclusion?'

'Well...' Sonic mused, 'most men aren't so eager to have another guy in bed with 'em.' The echidna snorted.

'What, I try to be nice to my buddy and suddenly I'm gay? Jeez.' Knuckles scowled, picking up his pace a little. Sonic matched his stride easily, shrugging.

'Listen, man. I'd be careful with Tails if I were you. I'm not as close to him as I used to be, but...' He paused. 'I've always kinda thought he was into guys.'  
Knuckles stumbled a little, blushing with embarrassment.

'Uh, what?' he said, staring at his friend incredulously. He had never even considered that Tails might be gay.

'I've been friends with him a long time, Knux. I sorta noticed some things.' Sonic grimaced, unsure if he should be sharing these things. Knuckles' curiosity was piqued, however.

'Like what?' he pressed. Sonic glanced at him.

'Well... Remember that time Rouge was bending over to get the newspaper, and we were all having a peek?' Sonic winked and laughed a few times. 'Anyway, he didn't seem interested at all. And you know what it's like at that age: if there's an ass to look at, you're looking at it as much as you can!' The hedgehog's brow furrowed. 'In fact, I've never seen him looking at Ames before, either.'

Knuckles was puzzled. 'I guess you're right. But what about Cream? He's always with her.'

'It's the same with her. Never a sideways glance.' Sonic scratched his head, despite the pair's velocity. 'Maybe that whole thing with Cosmo put him off chicks for good. What do you think?'

Knuckles shook his head. 'I dunno. I've never thought about it.'

'Well, like I said, be careful with the little guy. He was staring at you when you left the table this morning. Kind of...' Sonic hesitated. 'Admiringly.'

'I get your drift, Sonic. Thanks.' Knuckles slowed his strides, stopping outside of a toy store. 'C'mon, I gotta get a toy for Cream.'

The store was air-conditioned and clean; the cool air felt nice on the creatures' flushed skin. Knuckles quickly found a suitable train set and took it up to to cashier, who's eyes were boggling out of his head.

'How much do I owe ya?' Knuckles gestured to the box. The shopkeeper blinked a few times before glancing at the price tag, which read '29.95'.

'9.95 for you, sir!' he babbled in awe. Knuckles raised an eyebrow, handing a ten dollar bill to the man.

'Change is yours. C'mon, Sonic.' The echidna hefted the box in one arm, following Sonic out the door.

Despite the luggage, Knuckles effortlessly matched his previous pace. The shopkeeper's expression niggled in his mind.

'Sonic...' he said. Sonic turned his head toward him, still easily dodging obstacles and trash.

'Yeah?'

'Do you ever get sick of being famous?' Knuckles asked slowly. Sonic pursed his lips in thought.

'Yeah, sometimes. I kinda wish we didn't stand out so much.' He smirked. 'I would've thought you'd love the attention, Knucklehead.'

The echidna swiped at the back of Sonic's head, who dodged and chuckled.

'Are you kidding? Goddamn, is it annoying. I can't go anywhere without being gaped at or ogled.'

'Again, I figure you enjoy it.'

'Shut up.' The pair traded jibes until arriving back at the apartment, where Sonic plopped down onto the sofa.

'Wanna watch football? It's hilarious how slow the runners are,' he said, pointing the remote at the television.

'No thanks, I'll go give Cream her train set.' Knuckles kicked off his shoes and walked down the hall to the room Cream and Tails shared. He knocked three times before entering, finding Cream and Cheese playing checkers on her bed.

'Hey, kiddo. I got something for ya.' Knuckles held up the box in his hands. Cream gasped excitedly.

'Ooh, thank you so much, Knuckles! Now we can play train for real!' The rabbit's eyes glowed as she took the box from Knuckles, dumping its contents on the floor. Cheese squealed happily, waving frantically at the echidna, who smiled and rubbed the Chao's head affectionately.

'You're welcome, buddy. Here, let me help ya.' The big male crouched next to the small girl, helping her assemble the track for the Chao-sized wooden train. An idea formed in his head and he looked slyly at Cream, who was setting up a station.

'Hey, Cream,' he said, acting nonchalant. Cream gazed up at him cutely. 'Uh huh?'

Knuckles grimaced, a little ashamed of himself.

'Do you think Tails is gay?'

Cream blinked, frowning.

'Umm...' she hesitated. Knuckles leant forward in anticipation.

'What does "gay" mean?' the bunny asked. Knuckles exhaled and smiled, shaking his head.

'Never mind, kiddo. Enjoy your toy.' Knuckles patted her lightly on the head, giving Cheese another stroke as he exited the room.

Mocking his own stupidity, Knuckles returned to his own room and resumed his cleaning, which was nearly complete. Left alone to his thoughts, the echidna found himself pondering why he was so curious about Tails' sexuality. He tried to chalk it up to concern and curiosity, but something in the back of his head kept him from completely believing the notion. For some reason, a reason he couldn't put his finger on, he wanted to know whether the rumour was true quite badly.


End file.
